Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi glanced at the map on the jade pendant. Although it differed slightly from the ones Tang Ru had given him, the discrepancies weren’t significant. He could still match the terrain.

As he compared the maps, he murmured to himself, “Southern Territory… Inferno Valley…”

After some thought, he stepped forward and tore open a spatial tear. Just before vanishing, a glint flashed in his eyes. That unsettling feeling of being watched had returned.

Ever since leaving the Phoenix Lightning Sect, that faint sensation had occasionally surfaced—a pair of invisible eyes, sharp as blades, piercing his back. However, no matter how many times he tried, he could never find the observer. The strange thing was that even when he had been gravely weakened, the person never struck. It dawned on him that this unseen foe might be the most troublesome enemy he had ever faced.

In the pitch-black void, the occasional sleek spacecraft streaked past. Only cultivators of the Nascent Soul Realm or higher could ride such vehicles.

***

Inside one of those ships, a plump old man reclined with a cup of fine wine in hand. When he turned his gaze outward, he froze. A topless young man was swinging his sword in the emptiness itself. Even the old man couldn’t hide his astonishment. “What… what kind of monster practices swordsmanship in the void?”

“Keep going!” Sword Spirit’s voice echoed in Li Guanqi’s mind. “You haven’t reached your limit yet!”

Li Guanqi’s arms felt like lead, and he was exhausted. He’d spent an entire month training in the void, swinging his sword hundreds of times. And yet, he still couldn’t grasp the final move of the Heavenly Destruction Sword Sutra. His only option was to constantly train with his sword while also getting physically stronger.

Every day, his muscles tore and healed countless times.He also saw the spacecraft, but he knew that such luxuries weren’t meant for him. He wiped the sweat from his face, feeling a burning pain in the wounds across his body. There was a gruesome scar on his chest that he had chosen to keep.

He had seen many cultivators preserve their scars to honor those who had left an impression on them.

He kept the scar to remember Xue Yan, whose sword intent, driven by an intense hunger for freedom, had left a deep impression on him. Li Guanqi now understood his own sword intent more profoundly. Against a powerful opponent, pity was sometimes the wrong response. The greatest respect he could show was to fight with the full intention to kill.

Buzz!

Gradually, he lost himself in the rhythm of his sword.

His sword force began to shift, his technique suddenly flawless. Countless bolts of lightning crackled to life around him, and the nascent soul in his dantian shone brightly.

Buzz!

The space within a hundred zhang radius of him trembled, and chaotic spirit force storms gathered.

Rumble!

Thunder roared through the void.

Li Guanqi floated amidst the storm, his eyes shut tightly.

Boom!

A terrifying aura burst forth, and a dominating sword intent burst forth like a tidal wave. His mind and lightning power began to merge.

Sword Spirit appeared beside him, staring in disbelief. Her eyes widened, and she murmured, “He’s forming a domain with his sword intent… Could it be a sword domain?!”

Boom!

Before she could fully grasp what was happening, thunder crashed and another surge of energy erupted from Li Guanqi. The space within three hundred zhang of him transformed into a massive pool of lightning.

Violent sword qi swept through the lightning pool, amplified by Li Guanqi’s regal sword intent.

Sword Spirit stared at the pool in shock. Pride swelled within her as she gazed at the young man in the center. Mastering a sword domain meant his strength had taken another great leap forward.

Buzz!

The lightning slowly faded. Li Guanqi opened his eyes, excitement flickering in them. He hadn’t expected his sword intent to evolve so dramatically. Within the domain, he felt like he had become one with the heavens. Inside, everything was within his control, and whatever he wanted was just one thought away.

Li Guanqi gave this domain a new name: Sword Prison. A prison of lightning and blades.

Before, his lightning could only paralyze his enemies. Now, with his increased knowledge and strength, it had become incredibly destructive—enough to make all life tremble.

It was why so many cultivators were terrified of heavenly tribulations.

Though his cultivation realm hadn’t increased, he felt that if he fought Xue Yan again, he might not even need the Heavenly Destruction Sword Sutra.

He pulled out a high-grade spirit stone and absorbed its spirit qi happily.

As he read the battle records of the top three, each capable of killing Divine Transformation Realm opponents, he fell into deep thought. He had to admit he wasn’t strong enough for that. If he faced a powerful Divine Transformation Realm cultivator, he’d probably die within a few exchanges.

The gap between realms was as vast as a canyon. Perhaps when he reached the tenth level of the Nascent Soul Realm, or at least its late stage, he could stand a chance.

Looking at the list, even he couldn’t help but mutter, “These people are fucking monsters… and this is only the Daxia Territory.”

Despite that, a flicker of excitement lit up his heart. Someday, he wanted to face them.

After some time, when Li Guanqi emerged from the void, he had a small mustache above his lips.

The sky stretched for ten thousand li without a single cloud. Suddenly, a pitch-black spatial tear opened, distorting the air around it. An ordinary-looking young man stepped out. Feeling the hot air, he muttered, “Summer in the Northern Territory is colder.”

He got his bearings, took a step, and disappeared. When he reappeared, his expression changed, and he went still before disappearing again.

Inside the sword coffin, a massive egg taller than a man rested atop a large altar. Its purple-black scales were cracking audibly, unable to contain the pressure within.

Watching the trembling egg, Li Guanqi almost wept with relief. Ever since receiving the lightning dragon egg years ago, he’d been feeding it like a bottomless pit.

It looked like those days were finally coming to an end.